Pokemon: New Beginnings
by rcmgamer218
Summary: My take on the Pokemon anime, starting from Kanto, and going all the way into Unova and beyond. With a new character, who will have a major impact on how events will play out in the story. My worst summary so far, but please read anyway.
1. Chapter 1

Pokemon: New beginnings

"Hi. My name is Vance, and I'm a Pokemon trainer. I'm starting my journey, at age ten, just like everyone else does at my age. But I'm a special case; I'm not using one of the traditional region starters, like Squirtle, Charmander, or Bulbasaur. No, I'm a special type of trainer; I'm training to be a Dragon Master! My uncle, who is also a Dragon Master, gave me a Dratini to help me get started. I'm in Viridian City, hoping to get my first badge; hopefully, things will just run smoothly…but then again, where's the fun in that!"

'We start our adventure with a young, new trainer, Vance Draco. His dream, like any other young Pokemon Trainer, is to become a Pokemon Master. He, along with his new friend, Dratini, plans to explore the world, battle every trainer out there, and defeat the Pokemon League challenge. However, he is completely unaware of the adventures that lie before him.'

"RING, RING, RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL! RING, RING, RING! PHONE CALL!" The phone went, waking Vance from his nap. Nurse Joy then walked over, and smiled.

"Vance; you have a phone call from Blackthorn City. I believe it's your mother." Nurse Joy said, and Vance stood up, and lightly nodded towards the Nurse.

"Thank you." Vance said, and he walked over to the phone, and answered. Suddenly, on the screen of the video phone, a woman with red hair, similar to Vance's, but straight, rather than spiky.

"Hi honey! How are you doing?" Vance's mother asked, and Vance smiled.

"Fine mom; I'm in Viridian City now. I was hoping to challenge the gym here, but the Gym Leader is away on business, and isn't sure when he'll be back." Vance said, and his mother began smiling ear to ear.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you! You're just like your father and uncle! They'll be so pleased to hear of your progress. And how is your Dratini doing?" Vance's mother asked.

"He's fine; he was pretty worn out from training today, so I'm letting him rest here at the Pokemon Center." Vance said, and his mom smiled again.

"Well, take care of yourself son, and Dratini too! If you find your way back to Blackthorn, make sure you stop by for a visit. I miss you already!" His mother said, and Vance nodded.

"I miss you too mom." Vance said, and he heard a timer ding from the other side of the phone line.

"Oh! I have to go honey! Love you!" Vance's mother said, and she hung up. As Vance put the phone back on the receiver, he saw Nurse Joy walk back into the lobby, carrying a single Pokeball.

"Vance; you're Dratini is feeling much better." Nurse Joy said, and Vance took the Pokeball, and smiled.

"Thank you Nurse Joy. I appreciate you taking such good care of my Pokemon. Can you tell me where the nearest town with a gym is found?" Vance asked.

"Pewter would be your best bet; the shortest way is to go through the Viridian Forest. It's filled with Bug Pokemon though, so be careful." Joy said, and Vance nodded.

"Thank you. Have a good day." Vance said, and he looked at the Pokeball in his hand, and smiled. "Dratini, let's hope you and I have better luck at Pewter." Vance said, and he walked out of the Pokemon Center, and made his way to the forest.

After spending a couple of hours in the Forest, Vance decided to stop for lunch. As he ate a sandwich, his Dratini ate a standard Pokemon food he made from simple ingredients. However, his lunch was interrupted when he began hearing what sounded like a cheerleader squad.

"Gary! Gary! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" The cheerleaders yelled, and Vance, after finishing his food, got Dratini, and began to follow the noise. After a few minutes, he saw that there was a cheerleader squad in the forest, surrounding a ten year old boy with brown, spiky hair, a purple shirt, and black pants. He was holding a PokeBall, apparently just capturing a Pokemon. The boy then turned around, and saw Vance, and smiled confidently.

"You! You're a Pokemon trainer, correct?" The boy asked, and Vance nodded. "What's your name?" He asked next.

"Vance Draco, of Blackthorn City!" Vance answered confidently, and the boy smiled.

"I'm Gary Oak, of Pallet Town! I challenge you to a battle!" Gary said, and Vance smiled as he put a hand on Dratini's PokeBall.

"I accept!" Vance said, and he picked up his PokeBall, and got ready for the battle, while Gary smirked.

"Squirtle, I choose you!" Gary said, and he threw the PokeBall, which popped open, and his Squirtle appeared out of a bright light.

"Squirtle, huh? Alright then; Dratini, I choose you!" Vance said, and he let Dratini out of his PokeBall, and it gave out a small roar.

"A Dratini? Well, this is going to be interesting." Gary said, and he just smirked. "Squirtle, use Headbutt!" Garry ordered, and his Squirtle charged at Dratini.

"Dratini; dodge and then Slam!" Vance countered, and Dratini jumped in the air, causing Squirtle to run right past Dratini, and then, Dratini, forced himself to land on Squirtle's back, knocking him down.

"Squirtle!" Gary said in shock, and his Squirtle stood back up, ready to continue. "Quick! Use Water Gun!" Gary said, and Squirtle sprayed a stream of water at Dratini, which hit its mark, knocking Dratini back a few feet.

"Are you okay, Dratini?" Vance asked, and Dratini just got back up, determination burning in his eyes. "Heh. Don't you know that Water-Type moves have little effect on Dragon-Types?" Vance asked, and Gary growled a little. "Now it's time for Dratini's ultimate attack; Dratini, DRAGON RAGE!" Vance ordered, and Dratini opened his mouth, and a multi-color cloud of energy began flying towards Squirtle, and hit it. The energy then turned into a giant cyclone, encircling Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" Gary yelled in horror, and when the cyclone disappeared, Squirtle was lying on his back, with spirals in his eyes. Gary then ran over to Squirtle and picked him up. "Squirtle, are you okay?" Gary asked.

"Squirtle…" Squirtle said simply, meaning that he couldn't fight anymore. Gary then just sighed in defeat, and returned Squirtle to his PokeBall. After that, all the cheerleaders started crying, seeing their idol defeated.

"Well, I guess you win then." Gary said.

"Didn't you catch a Pokemon, just before the battle started?" Vance asked.

"Eh, it's too weak to battle; I have to take both of them to a Pokemon Center before I can battle again." Gary said, and Vance nodded.

"Alright then. You battle well, Gary. I can tell you're going to be a great trainer." Vance complimented, and Gary just huffed.

"That battle was a fluke; I'm going to be unbeatable, and become a Pokemon Master. No one can stop me!" Gary said confidently, and he began walking farther into the forest, with his cheerleader's right behind him.

"Good trainer; could work on his ego though." Vance said, and Dratini suddenly jumped into Vance's chest, causing Vance to catch him. "You did a great job, Dratini! I'm proud of you." Vance said happily, and he returned Dratini to his Pokeball. "You deserve a nice rest." Vance commented as he put the Pokeball back on his belt, when suddenly, he heard thunder, and rain began to downpour quickly. "Great." Vance said, as he took off to try and find the best place to find shelter so he could set up camp.

As Vance neared the forest exit, he found a place getting hit by very little rain, and decided to set up camp there. After pitching his tent, getting out his sleeping bag, and fixing himself and Dratini some dinner, Vance just sat back, and listened to the storm from the safety of his tent.

When Vance woke up the next morning, he noticed that the rain had stopped. So, he quickly packed up, hoping to reach Pewter by nightfall. By the time he had finished, the sun was already starting to show, and Vance began his leisurely walk. However, the sound of what sounded like a giant bird from above got his attention, and Vance looked up, and noticed a giant, rainbow-colored bird, flying over a rainbow. Awestruck, Vance just stood on the path, amazed at what he was seeing.

"When I find that kid…I'm going to tear him limb from limb…for stealing my bike!" A girl named Misty said, as she stomped along the route, hoping to reach Viridian City soon, hoping that that's where the boy that stole her bike would be, when she heard the cry of what sounded like a large Pokemon. Misty looked up, and was amazed at the sight of a rainbow-colored bird, flying over a rainbow.

Meanwhile, in Pewter City, as Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, went outside to collect fresh herbs to make breakfast for his siblings, he looked up at the sky, and was amazed to see the rainbow-colored bird, flying over a rainbow.

"Brock! My dress tore!" One of Brock's siblings yelled, and Brock looked down at his sister, and smiled.

"Okay, let me see what I can do." Brock said as he walked back inside.

And on Route 2, as Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and his Pikachu had just woken up after being knocked unconscious from exhaustion after fighter a flock of Spearow, heard the cry of a Pokemon in the sky, and as he looked up, he saw the rainbow-colored Pokemon flying over the rainbow.

"Ah…what's that?" Ash asked, and his Pokedex beeped to life.

"No data. There are still Pokemon yet to be discovered." The encyclopedia said, and Ash and Pikachu just watched in amazement as the bird flew over the rainbow and disappeared.

'Little do these four trainers know, seeing that bird Pokemon at the same time, was more just a coincidence. These four trainers will all have amazing adventures, filled with laughter, tears, pain, excitement, and more than a few Thunder Bolts. Be sure to watch their tales unfold, in the magical world of Pokemon.'


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

When Vance reached Pewter City, he immediately went to the Pokemon Center, since it was getting late. However, he noticed that Nurse Joy was running all over the place, carrying PokeBalls, and having her Chansey's do the same. Vance walked over to the counter and decided to ask if Nurse Joy needed any help.

"Nurse Joy, is something wrong?" Vance asked, and the Nurse stopped running around and wiped the sweat off her forehead before sighing for breath.

"The Viridian City Pokemon Center is under attack by Pokemon thieves, and we're transferring the Pokemon from there, to here, for the Pokemon's protection." Nurse Joy said, and Vance was shocked at what he heard.

"What! Is there anything I can do to help?" Vance asked, and Nurse Joy shook her head.

"I appreciate the offer, but we have everything under control. Please just…" Nurse Joy was then interrupted by her computer beeping loudly, and the update scared her. "Oh no! The Pokemon Center was just caught in a massive explosion! The entire building was destroyed!" Joy said, and Vance immediately ran out of the building. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to Viridian! They'll probably need all the help they can get!" Vance said, and Nurse Joy just sighed.

"Good luck." Nurse Joy simply said, and she went back to getting the Pokemon settled in.

By the next day, Vance figured that if he hurried, he could reach Viridian City by the afternoon. However, unbeknownst to him, the notorious Team Rocket was ahead of him, digging a deep pit, hoping to catch a certain trainer and his Pokemon.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" The male member, James asked, and the female, Jessie laughed.

"Of course! As soon as that twerp and his Pikachu walk over our cleverly hidden pit, the twerp falls in, we grab Pikachu, and make a run for it!" Jessie said, when suddenly, their third member, the talking Meowth, noticed Vance running down the road.

"Quick! Hide! Someone's coming!" Meowth warned, and Team Rocket hid in the bushes. They realized that Vance would spring their trap before their targeted trainer showed up, so they decided to get revenge by stealing his Pokemon. As soon as Vance stepped on the spot where Team Rocket dug their hole, he fell through, causing him to hit the bottom, hard.

"OW! How'd this hole get here!" Vance asked as he rubbed his back. Suddenly, Dratini popped out of his Pokeball, aware that Vance was hurt, and was worried about him, as could be heard from his concerned whines and roars. "I'm fine Dratini. Just a little sore." Vance said, and he started petting Dratini's head, when suddenly, Meowth jumped down, grabbed Dratini, and jumped out of the hole. "HEY! GIVE ME MY POKEMON BACK!" Vance demanded, when he heard two people laughing above him.

"Why would we go through the trouble of stealing your Pokemon, just to give it back?" Jessie said as she held Dratini in a net.

"And speaking of trouble, you better…make it double!" James said.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"What are you two talking about!" Vance demanded, and Jessie and James laughed again.

"We're out to steal rare and powerful Pokemon, and yours is perhaps one of the rarest in the world!" Jessie said, and Vance just growled.

"If you think you're taking my Dratini, you've got another thing coming. Dratini, Twister!"* Vance ordered, and Dratini opened his mouth, and suddenly, a tornado appeared out of it, and the tornado quickly enveloped around Team Rocket, sending them around in circles.

"AHHHH! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" Jessie demanded, and the twister began carrying Team Rocket down the road, forcing them to drop the net Dratini was in, allowing him to escape. Dratini then dropped down into the hole, and Vance caught him, and began petting his head.

"Good work Dratini!" Vance commended, and Dratini just roared happily, glad to be back with his trainer. "Now to get out of here!" Vance said to himself, and he began climbing up the dirt wall, trying to get a grip, but he kept slipping every time, and each time, Vance got more frustrated, but he kept trying, nonetheless.

* * *

"When are you going to pay me back for my bike!" Misty asked for the hundredth time, and all Ash did was groan in annoyance.

"I don't know! As soon as I can!" Ash said, but Misty wasn't convinced.

"Well, I'm going to keep following you until you pay me back!" Misty said, and Ash just groaned again, when he noticed a hole in the road.

"Hey, what's that hole doing there?" Ash asked, and he Misty walked over and noticed a pair of hands barely grab the edge.

"Hey! Is anyone out there! I'm stuck!" Vance yelled out, and Ash and Misty looked down the hole, and saw Vance try to climb up.

"Wha? How'd you get down there?" Ash asked.

"I fell! How else could I have gotten down there! Help me out!" Vance yelled, and Ash and Misty knelt down, grabbed Vance's wrists, and pulled him out of the hole.

"Are you okay?" Misty asked, and Vance looked over himself, and then at Dratini, and nodded.

"I'm fine. You okay Dratini?" Vance asked, and Dratini roared happily, causing Vance to smile. "Good. Thanks for helping us out. I owe you." Vance said, and Misty and Ash smiled.

"Not a problem. So, what's your name?" Ash asked.

"Vance Draco; Dragon Master in training. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vance said, holding out his hand, and Ash shook it, quickly followed by Misty.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Ash Ketchum! And I'm going to be a Pokemon Master!" Ash said, and Vance smirked.

"And I'm Misty Waterflower. I plan on becoming a Water Pokemon Master!" Misty said, and Vance nodded.

"So I take it you two are on your way to Pewter City?" Vance asked, and Ash nodded.

"Yeah! I'm going to get my first gym badge!" Ash said confidently.

"And I'm following him until he pays me back for my bike that he destroyed!" Misty said angrily, and Ash groaned.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out, noticing that he hadn't been introduced yet.

"Oh, and this is my best friend, Pikachu!" Ash said, and Vance got on one knee and began petting Pikachu's head. "Eh, I'd be careful if I were you; Pikachu doesn't really like it when other people pet him!" Ash warned, but he noticed that Pikachu appeared to be enjoying the attention he was getting from Vance. "Huh?" Ash said in shock, and when Vance stood up, Dratini slithered up his leg and went up to his shoulder.

"This is my partner; Dratini." Vance said, and Misty's eyes grew big as she looked at Dratini dreamy-like.

"Ooooooooh! He's so cute!" Misty said, and she ran over to Vance to get a closer view of Dratini. "I always wanted one of the legendary Dragon Pokemon! I'm so jealous!" Misty said, and Vance just smirked, while Ash got out his Pokedex, and pointed it at Dratini.

"Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon. Dratini sheds its skin as it grows, often doing so while hidden behind large, powerful waterfalls." Dexter explained.

"He was a gift from my Uncle, to help me start my Pokemon Journey. I was about to progress on that goal, by challenging the Pewter City Gym Leader, but I heard that the Viridian City Pokemon Center was in trouble, and I was on my way to help when I fell in the hole left by some freaks called Team Rocket." Vance explained, and Misty and Ash rolled their eyes.

"Not _them_ again!" Ash said, and Vance raised an eye brow.

"I take it you've come across them before." Vance said, and the two trainers nodded.

"Yeah; they're the reason the Pokemon Center in Viridian was destroyed. But things there are under control; Nurse Joy already has the Center running again, even if the building itself is in ruins." Misty said, and Vance smiled.

"Well, that's good to hear. I guess I can head back to Pewter then." Vance said.

"You want to travel with us? It'd be nice having someone else to talk to." Ash said, and Vance thought about the offer for a few moments, before nodding.

"Sure. Sounds fun. But if it's alright with you, I'd like to refill my canteen before we get started." Vance said, and Ash and Misty nodded.

"That's fine. I think we need to take a break anyway. That sound good Pikachu?" Ash asked, and Pikachu jumped up and down.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." Vance said, and he got the canteen he had strapped to his belt, and went into the forest to find a lake.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, an unknown Pokemon Trainer looked at the Pokeball in his hand, and the brink of tears. He then opened the Pokeball, and out came a Horsea, who appeared in the small lake. The Pokemon looked at her trainer happily, but noticed that something was wrong.

"Horsea…I think…you and I weren't meant to be teammates…" The trainer said, and Horsea looked at him, confused. "Every time we get in a battle, we always lose, and you get hurt badly, and it's my fault. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. That's why…I'm letting go!" The trainer said suddenly, and the Horsea began crying out to him, trying to reassure him that they worked well together. "I'm sorry Horsea, but you deserve a better trainer than me…goodbye Horsea!" The trainer said, and he took off running, tears running down his cheeks, while Horsea cried out, pleadingly.

* * *

When Vance finally found a lake to refill his canteen, he was surprised to find a Horsea there, swimming in small circles, looking depressed about something. Horsea weren't native to the Viridian Forest, and he was curious about how one got into a lake.

"Hey there, little fella. How'd you get here?" Vance asked the Horsea as he got on one knee, and the Horsea turned towards Vance, but began to swim back in fear. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you!" Vance reassured, and he reached into a pouch on his waist, and pulled out a Pokemon food pellet. "You hungry? I have delicious piece of Pokemon food for you." Vance offered, and the Horsea started to slowly move towards Vance and the food. Once Horsea was close enough, she began smelling the food out of curiosity, and when she thought it was safe, she took a bite. Horsea began chewing the food, before crying happily, enjoying the food, causing Vance to smile. "How'd you get here, girl? Were you abandoned by your trainer?" Vance asked, and Horsea looked down at the water sadly, and that was Vance's answer. "Hmm…a lake is no place for an oceanic Pokemon like you; how about you come with me? I can take you to the nearest Pokemon Center; they normally have large aquariums for Pokemon like you. I can take you there, and then find a way to take you back to the ocean." Vance offered, and Horsea began jumping around in the water, splashing Vance playfully, causing him to laugh. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Vance said, and Horsea jumped out of the water, and Vance caught her, and began carrying her back to where he left Ash and Misty.

* * *

When Vance rejoined Ash, Pikachu, and Misty, he ran over to the three, who were surprised to see that Vance was carrying a Horsea.

"Vance…where'd you get that Horsea?" Misty asked, and Ash once again got out his Pokedex.

"Horsea, a Dragon Pokemon. In this unique Pokémon species, thousands of eggs hatch every spring, and then the male raises them himself." Dexter said, and Ash put the Pokedex up.

"I found him in a nearby lake. She was abandoned by her trainer, and left her in the lake. A lake is no place for a Horsea to grow up, since it's an oceanic Pokemon, so I'm going to take her to the Pokemon Center, where they should have a large aquarium, and then try to find a place to release her." Vance explained, and Ash and Misty nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan, but why not just capture it?" Misty asked, and Vance shrugged.

"If Horsea wants to join us, that's fin; but right now, I think we need to get Horsea in a large water source." Vance said, and the three trainers began to make their way to Pewter, with Vance and Ash having the Pewter City Gym in their sights.

* * *

'With their newest friend, Ash and Pikachu rush towards Pewter City, ready to get their first gym badge. But first, they have to get out the Viridian Forest. Will they ever reach Pewter City? Find out, in the next adventure, in the world of Pokemon!'


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

When Vance, Ash, and Misty finally found Pewter City, Ash jumped down off a cliff, and began resting on a rock, exhausted after spending so much time in the Viridian Forest, and he gave off a loud sigh of relief.

"Phew. For a while there, I thought I'd be stuck in that forest forever!" Ash said, and he looked at Pewter City with an excited look on his face.

"This city is gray, the color of stone. This city has always been famous for stone." A strange voice said, and Ash looked down, and saw a strange man sitting below him.

"Huh? Who's this guy" Ash asked, and Misty and Vance shrugged.

"Never met him." Misty replied.

"The name's Flint, and your sitting on my merchandise, young man." Flint said, and Ash quickly jumped off, and the others noticed the price tags on several other rocks Flint had placed on shelves.

"Oh sorry! Wait, you mean you sell rocks?" Ash asked.

"Pewter City souvenirs. Want to buy some?" Flint asked, but the gang shook their heads.

"No thanks; I'm traveling, trying to become a Pokemon Master!" Ash said confidently, and Flint looked over at Pikachu, and noticed that he looked tired.

"I see. Well your Pokemon sure looks worn out. Follow me and I'll take you to the Pokemon Center." Flint said as he stood up, and he began walking towards the city.

"See? Looks can be deceiving; he's a nice guy." Ash said to Misty, who still wasn't sure.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked, and Flint leaned over to Ash with his palm out.

"Oh, by the way, that'll be a two dollar charge for resting on my rocks." Flint said, and when the three trainers processed what he said, they fell over in disbelief.

* * *

When Ash, Misty, and Vance reached the Pokemon Center, Ash and Vance went to the counter to give Nurse Joy their Pokemon and the Horsea Vance had found, but Ash noticed something strange about Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy?" Ash asked in shock.

"Yes, I'm Nurse Joy." Nurse Joy said, and Ash looked to the side in confusion.

"But this isn't Viridian City, this is Pewter City!" Ash pointed out, and Nurse Joy just smiled.

"The Joy in Viridian City is my little sister; I'm the older Joy. I've heard some nice things about you Ash. Very nice." Nurse Joy said, and she turned to Vance and smiled. "It's good seeing you again, Vance. I see you made some new friends." Nurse Joy greeted, and Vance smiled and nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I ran into Ash and Misty while in the Viridian Forest, after Dratini and I fell into a trap laid by Team Rocket. They helped me out, and we decided to travel together. I found this Horsea in a small lake deeper into the forest, where she had been abandoned by her trainer. I brought her here, hoping you could put her in this Centers aquarium to rest." Vance said, and Nurse Joy smiled and nodded as she took Horsea and Dratini. "Nurse Joy, I hope you're sister isn't too upset with me for not making it to Viridian; once I heard that the situation was under control, I decided to come back here." Vance explained, and Nurse Joy smiled.

"Oh, you're fine. My sister will be glad you didn't waste an entire trip down there, only to realize you weren't needed. Now you can focus on winning your gym battle." Nurse Joy said, and Vance smiled.

"Good. Now if it's alright with you, I'm going to get something to eat while Dratini rests up." Vance said, and Nurse Joy nodded as Vance got ready to go outside.

"Of course. By the way, have you seen that poster?" Nurse Joy asked, and Ash and Vance turned to look at the poster, and they both got excited instantly.

"The Pokemon League Regional Championships…all right!" Ash said excitedly, but Misty began mocking him.

"Ha!" Misty laughed, breaking Ash out of his trance.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Ash asked, and Misty started reading the poster.

"To compete in the Regional Championships, you need to beat Gym Leaders from different towns and get their badges as proof." Misty read aloud, and she turned to Ash and got in his face. "Can you do that?" Misty asked mockingly, and Ash puffed out his chest.

"Of course I can!" Ash said, and when they heard Flint laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha. Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock; the Pewter City Gym Leader." Flint said as he walked over to the young trainers, and Ash turned to him, looking more determined than ever.

"Of course I do! As soon as Pikachu and my other Pokemon are better, I'll have no problem! Take me to this Brock's Gym! I'll beat him!" Ash said, and Flint just started laughing again.

"Ha, ha, ha. You'll beat him. Ha, ha, ha, ha." Flint laughed as he walked away.

* * *

"Ooh, that Flint, trying to make a fool out of me!" Ash said angrily as he ate his food at the local diner.

"Do you really think you can win? Gym leaders are much different from your average trainer! They're much, much tougher!" Misty explained, and Ash stopped eating so he could listen to her. "I'll tell you what Ash; if you ask me really nicely, I'll help you out." Misty offered, and Ash just continued eating.

"I don't need any help!" Ash said confidently, and Misty just stood up angrily, and began to walk off.

"Is that so? Fine with me! There's no way you'll beat Brock and the Pewter City Gym!" Misty said as she stormed off, leaving Ash with the bill.

* * *

As Misty grumbled to herself, she walked back to the Pokemon Center, and Nurse Joy showed her to the aquarium where Vance was after he finished eating. She noticed that Vance standing on a ladder, standing over the edge of the aquarium, and was throwing a rubber ball to Horsea, who was sending it back with her water gun.

"Hey Misty? Have a good lunch?" Vance asked, and Misty shrugged as she climbed another ladder to watch Horsea swim around.

"I guess; Ash is completely pig-headed though! I offered to help him prepare for his gym battle, and he says he doesn't need any help!" Misty said, and Vance just smirked.

"Ash is still a rookie trainer; when he experiences his first loss against a gym trainer, he'll realize how important preparation is." Vance said, and he threw the rubber ball to Horsea again, but instead of sending it back to Vance, Horsea got excited at seeing Misty, wanting her to play as well, so she sent the ball back to Misty with her Water Gun. Unfortunately, Misty wasn't paying attention, and the ball hit Misty in the head, knocking her off the ladder.

"OW!" Misty yelled as she hit the floor, and Vance slid down the ladder, and went to see if Misty was alright.

"Misty! Are you okay?" Vance asked as he helped Misty sit up, and Misty began to rub her head where she had gotten hit.

"Ugh…yeah, I'm fine. Horsea just caught me off guard." Misty said, and she looked up, and saw Horsea looking over the edge of the aquarium, and began crying out apologetically. "Don't worry Horsea; I'm not mad." Misty said, and she smiled at Horsea, causing the Pokemon to jump around in the water.

"Turns out Horsea is really playful, and I guess she got excited about seeing another familiar face, and she wanted you to play with you as well." Vance explained, and when Misty stood back up, she grabbed the ball, and threw it back to Horsea, and she caught it with her Water Gun, and began shooting straight up, keeping it suspended."

"She has quite the Water Gun." Misty commented, and Vance nodded.

"Yeah, very powerful for a Pokemon of her size." Vance commented, and he climbed up the ladder again, and Horsea sent the ball back to Vance again. While Vance continued to play with Horsea, and Misty just watched, when Nurse Joy walked in with Dratini's Pokeball.

"Vance? Your Dratini is feeling much better." Nurse Joy said, and Vance went to her, and took the Pokeball back.

"Thank you for taking care of him, Nurse Joy. I appreciate it." Vance said, and he opened the Pokeball, and Dratini popped in a white light, and looked at his trainer excitedly. "You ready for our first gym battle, Dratini?" Vance asked, and Dratini began bouncing up and down happily. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Vance said, and Dratini slithered up onto Vance's shoulder, and Vance turned towards Horsea. "Horsea, I'll be back after my gym battle; I promise!" Vance said, and he left the aquarium, and despite his promise, Horsea began crying out for him to come back. Both Vance and Misty were sad to leave their new friend, but they knew they'd be back soon as they went to the gym.

* * *

When Misty and Vance reached the gym, they saw Ash holding Pikachu, and looking down at the ground disappointedly. Both of them knew that Ash had lost his gym battle, even without him telling them. As Ash walked away, Vance looked at Ash with pity.

"Poor Ash. It must be hard, losing your first gym battle." Vance said, full of pity for Ash, and Misty just just turned her head and gave out a huff, thinking about something, but her thoughts were interrupted when Vance put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go to him? He could use a friend right now." Vance suggested.

"He didn't want my help! I doubt he wants me to comfort him!" Misty said stubbornly, but Vance shook his head.

"He might not want it, but he certainly needs it. I doubt anything I say would make him feel better; I've only known him for a few hours, but you two appear to be pretty good friends, so what you say might mean more to him." Vance said, and Misty nodded, but she still wanted to watch Vance battle, which Vance could tell by the disappointed look on her face. "Don't worry about my battle; sometimes, there are things more important than a Pokemon battle, and friends are one of those things." Vance explained.

"Who told you that?" Misty asked.

"My uncle. And if a Pokemon Master said that, than it must be true." Vance said, and Misty nodded as she walked off to find Ash.

* * *

When Vance opened the doors to the Pokemon Gym, he walked in with confidence, ready to challenge the gym leader. As he got the center of the room, a light turned on, revealing a teenager around seventeen years old, on the other side of the room.

"Are you Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader?" Vance asked, and the teenager jumped down from where he was sitting.

"I am." Brock answered, and Vance put his hand on Dratini's Pokeball.

"Then I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Vance said, and the rest of the lights in the room came on.

"Very well. I am required to accept all challenges. We will battle with two Pokemon each!" Brock said, and Vance took a step back and gulped.

"I only have one Pokemon, but I still wish to battle you!" Vance explained, and Brock nodded.

"Very well." Brock said, and suddenly, the floor began to shake as part of the floor moved, revealing two halves of a rocky stage, moving to join together. Vance quickly moved out of the way of the arena, and when they joined together, Vance took his spot on the arena. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready! Dratini, I choose you!" Vance yelled, and he threw Dratini's Pokeball, releasing the small dragon. Dratini gave out a confident roar, while Brock got a Pokeball of his own.

"Onix, GO!" Brock yelled, and when he threw the Pokeball, his massive Onix appeared on the stage, and gave out a might roar. Vance appeared nervous at first, but he quickly regained his composure, and started thinking of a strategy.

'Onix…it has a large amount of Physical Defense, making it a formidable opponent. Luckily, Dratini mostly has Special moves, which takes away Onix's greatest strength…I should still keep my guard up though; who knows what tricks Brock has up his sleeve.' Vance thought to himself, and after thinking of what move to use, he started the battle. "Dratini, start off with Twister!" Vance ordered, and Dratini opened his mouth, and let out a mighty gust of wind, which moved towards Onix, and surrounded it. The tornado was so powerful, it started lifting rocks off the arena, and ramming them into Onix.

"Onix!" Brock said in shock, but although his Pokemon was getting hurt, he remained calm. "Onix, Tackle attack!" Brock ordered, and Onix dove towards Dratini. Although the Dragon tried to get out of the way, Dratini was sent into the air when Onix's head hit the ground, sending rocks everywhere. Several of the rocks hit Dratini as he flew through the air, until he landed on a boulder on the arena, causing Dratini to cry out in pain. "Now Onix, Bind it!" Brock commanded, and Onix began rapping its tail around Dratini, and began squeezing it.

"Dratini!" Vance yelled in horror, not being able to stand seeing his Pokemon in such pain. "Use Dragon Rage!" Vance ordered, but Dratini was in too much pain to do anything. Vance closed his eyes and began facing the ground, before running onto the arena. "STOP! I SURRENDER! JUST STOP!" Vance said, and after Brock ordered Onix to stop, it let Dratini go. Vance kneeled down to his Dratini, and slowly picked him up. "Dratini…are you okay?" Vance asked, and Dratini looked at him, and gave an apologetic roar. "No, don't apologize; I'm the one that screwed up." Vance said, and all Dratini did was lick Vance's cheek before passing out. "Hang on Dratini; I'll get you to Pokemon Center as fast as I can!" Vance said, and he took off towards the Pokemon Center.

* * *

When Misty entered the Pokemon Center, she saw Vance in the lobby, on the brink of tears about something. She figured it was because Vance lost the Gym Battle, like Ash did; so Misty decided to see if she could be of any help.

"So, I take it you're gym battle didn't turn out so well." Misty guessed, and Vance nodded.

"Dratini got hurt real bad. I don't think I can ask him to go through that again…" Vance said, and Misty looked at Vance with pity, and as they waited for Dratini to recover, Misty thought of something.

"Hey, why don't we go see Horsea? I'm sure she'd be glad to see you again." Misty suggested, and Vance nodded as the two headed down to the aquarium.

"So what happened to Ash? I haven't seen him ever since we saw him outside Pewter Gym." Vance asked, and Misty rolled her eyes.

"He's doing some ridiculous plan with Flint, trying to make Pikachu more powerful. I offered to let him use some of my Pokemon instead, but he refused, saying he'll win his own way." Misty said, and Vance shrugged.

"I can respect that; a trainer has to choose his own path if he's going to be a Pokemon Master." Vance said, and Misty just shrugged, when Vance started looking at Misty curiously.

"What?" Misty asked, confused on why Vance was looking at him.

"You offered to Ash to let him use your Pokemon?" Vance asked, somewhat shocked, and Misty nodded, not aware of why Vance was so shocked.

"Yeah, why?" Misty wondered, and Vance just closed his eyes and started chuckling as he faced the ground. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just…you and Ash must be really close; only friends that share very close bonds let them use each other's Pokemon." Vance said, and Misty started to blush lightly before getting angry.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY I HAVE FEELINGS FOR THAT LITTLE CREEP! HE JUST OWES ME A BIKE, AND I'M NOT LETTING HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT UNTIL HE PAYS ME BACK!" Misty yelled, trying to strangle Vance, but the he just removed Misty's hands from his neck, and started chuckling.

"I didn't say anything about you having feelings for Ash; I just said you two must be close." Vance pointed out, and Misty began blushing again.

"Well…I was only offering to help Ash out of pity, because there is no way he can win with just his Pikachu!" Misty explained, and Vance just chuckled.

"Okay, out of pity; I get it. I totally believe you." Vance said with a hint of sarcasm, and Misty just growled as the two walked down to the stairs.

* * *

When Horsea saw Vance and Misty again, she began jumping around the water and crying out happily. Vance and Misty smiled, glad to see Horsea so happy. Two two trainers began playing with Horsea, throwing a rubber ball at it, and throwing hoops into the air, so Horsea could try and jump through them. As Vance threw the last ring for Horsea to jump through, it landed on the edge of the aquarium, and began keeping its balance on the glass container, without being in the water.

"Wow, that's impressive; Horsea is able to keep it's balance and stand up straight without being in the water; I've never seen a Horsea do that before." Vance said in amazement, and Vance suddenly had an idea. "I wonder…" Vance said to himself, and he ran out of the aquarium, much to Horsea's dismay, and went to find Nurse Joy.

* * *

When Vance entered the lobby of the Pokemon Center, he saw Nurse Joy typing on her computer, with a single Pokeball next to her. Vance walked over to the counter.

"Perfect timing Vance; your Dratini has just recovered, and is ready to go." Joy said, and Vance smiled as Joy handed him Dratini's Pokeball.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I really appreciate you taking care of my Pokemon. Hey; is that Horsea feeling well enough to travel?" Vance asked, and Nurse Joy checked the computer and smiled.

"Yes; she's feeling much better now. Why?" Nurse Joy asked, and Vance smiled.

"I was thinking, maybe Horsea would like to travel with me on my Pokemon Journey." Vance suggested, and Joy was surprised by what Vance was suggesting, but then smiled.

"I think that would be a great idea Vance; that Horsea really seems to like you." Joy said, and Vance smiled and nodded as he rushed back down to the aquarium.

When Vance re-entered the aquarium, he quickly climbed up the ladder, grabbed a Pokeball, and held it in front of Horsea.

* * *

"Horsea, I was thinking; would you like to join me on my Pokemon Journey, along with Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Dratini?" Vance offered, and Horsea began jumping in the water, and nodded excitedly. "Okay they; Pokeball, GO!" Vance said, and he threw a Pokeball at Horsea, and when Horsea entered the ball, it shook three times, and then gave off a tone. "Welcome to the family, Horsea." Vance said happily, and Misty glared at Vance with jealousy in her eyes.

"Ooh, no fair! I want a Horsea!" Misty yelled, and Vance shrugged.

"Oh well; this one wanted to be my Pokemon." Vance said, and he grabbed Dratini's Pokeball, and released both Pokemon. When Dratini appeared, Vance picked up Horsea, and showed her to Dratini. "Dratini, meet our new traveling companion; Horsea." Vance introduced, and Dratini leaned forward to smell Horsea, and after a couple of sniffs, identifying Horsea, Dratini roared happily, causing Horsea to cry out as well.

"Hah, they're friends already!" Misty said, and Vance just smiled as he saw the two get along. "You know Vance, Brock is a Rock Type trainer, and since Horsea is a Water Type, that gives you an advantage." Misty pointed out, and Vance nodded.

"Yeah, if Horsea wants to battle for me." Vance said, and Horsea looked at Vance at hearing her name, and Vance petted Horsea's head. "Horsea, do you want to battle for me at the Pokemon Gym?" Vance asked, and Horsea nodded, causing Vance to smile. "Thank you, Horsea; this means a lot to me." Vance said happily, and he got ready to go back to the Gym.

* * *

When Vance reached the Gym the next day, he saw Ash and Pikachu standing out there as well, waiting to go inside. Ash looked determined as ever, as did Pikachu, and when the two turned around and saw Vance, they waved happily at Vance, motioning him over.

"You're going to rematch the Gym Leader, too?" Vance asked, and Ash nodded.

"Pikachu is much stronger than last time, and this time, we're going to win!" Ash said, and Vance smiled and nodded.

"Well, good luck to you, Ash." Vance said, and Ash nodded as well.

"You too. So…who's going to challenge Brock first?" Ash asked, and Vance smirked.

"Well, you challenged Brock first yesterday, so I think it's only fair that I go first today." Vance said, and Ash nodded, somewhat reluctantly. The two trainers then stepped towards the gym, and swung the doors open. "We're back!" Vance announced, and they saw Brock sitting at the other end of the arena, like last time.

"I see that; which one will I be defeating first?" Brock asked, and Vance stepped forward.

"You'll be battling me first today, and this time, I'm going to win!" Vance said, and Brock jumped down to the arena.

"We'll see. Do you still only have your Dratini?" Brock asked, and Vance smirked.

"No; I brought a secret weapon with me today!" Vance said, and Ash turned in surprise.

"A secret weapon?" Ash asked himself aloud, and when Vance entered the arena, Ash walked up to the higher levels, and found Misty there as well, looking through the guard rail.

"When you're ready, send out your first Pokemon." Brock said, and Vance shoved his cape to the side, grabbed a Pokeball, and threw it.

"Dratini, I choose you!" Vance said, and Dratini popped out of his Pokeball, and gave a determined roar.

"Geodude, GO!" Brock yelled, and his Geodude popped out of its Pokeball, and both Pokemon waited for orders. "Geodude, Tackle attack!" Brock ordered, and Geodude charged towards Dratini.

"Dratini; Dodge and use Twister!" Vance ordered, and Dratini jumped out of the way of Geodude's attack, and then opened his mouth, causing a giant tornado to form around Geodude, and send it around in circles, damaging it with the strong winds, and ramming it into other rocks.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Brock ordered, but Geodude was too far inside the tornado to do anything.

"Now Dratini, finish Geodude with Dragon Rage!" Vance yelled, and Dratini opened his mouth again, and this time a large armount of purple and yellow energy spewed out his mouth, and began wrapping around the tornado.

"Geodude!" Brock yelled out in horror, and when the mixture of the Dragon Rage and Twister attacks ended, Geodude fell onto the ground unconscious. Vance then began jumping in the air, excited over his victory, and Dratini turned around started roaring excitedly. "Don't get too excited just yet; you still have to deal with my Onix! GO!" Brock said, and he released Onix onto the field, and Vance withdrew Dratini.

"You did a great job Dratini! But now…" Vance said, grabbing Horsea's Pokeball, and started talking to it quietly. "I realize this our first battle together, but I'm counting on you! Horsea, I choose you!" Vance yelled as he threw Horsea's Pokeball, and the small Pokemon popped out of the ball and began balancing itself on the arena floor.

"Wha…Horsea!" Ash said in shock, and Misty nodded.

"Vance asked Horsea if she wanted to join him on his journey, and Horsea agreed; she's able to balance herself on her tail without the need of water. Now Vance has the advantage, because Rock is weak against Water!" Misty explained, and Ash turned to watch the battle.

"So, you got yourself a Water Pokemon? Too bad Horsea can't move outside of water." Brock said, and Vance just smirked.

"You let me worry about that!" Vance said, and Brock just shrugged.

"Fine. Onix, Tackle it!" Brock ordered, and Onix dove towards Horsea.

"Horsea, use your Water Gun! Aim straight for Onix's face!" Vance yelled, and Horsea unleashed a powerful Water Gun, hitting Onix's head, and stopping its attack.

"Onix!" Brock yelled in horror as Onix roared in pain, but Brock remained calm. "Onix, go to the side and try Tackling again!" Brock said, and Onix got away from the Water Gun, and tried to tackle Horsea from the side, and Horsea wasn't capable of moving on her own.

"Horsea! Aim your Water Gun straight at the ground!" Vance ordered, and Horsea looked down and fired her Water Gun at the ground, and she was sent flying backwards a few meters, making Onix's Tackle miss.

"Wow Vance, good thinking." Misty said quietly, and Ash just huffed.

"Very impressive; you improvised on Horsea's inability to move. Too bad it won't help!" Brock said in a taunting manner.

"We'll see; Horsea, Bubble Beam!" Vance commanded, and Horsea sent a steady stream of bubbles at Onix, and the barrage of popping bubbles knocked Onix over. "Now Horsea, aim your Water Gun at the ground again, and this time, try to land on top of Onix!" Vance said, and Horsea turned around and fired her Water Gun at the ground, and was sent flying into the air again, and landed on top of Onix's head. "Now Horsea, finish it with Bubble Beam!" Vance ordered, and Horsea blew several bubbles on Onix's head. Onix roared in pain for several seconds, before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"ONIX!" Brock yelled, and Onix showed no signs of getting up.

"Onix is unable to battle; Horsea is the winner. Victory goes to trainer Vance!" The judge said, and Vance jumped for joy, and ran over to Horsea, picked her up, and threw her in the air several times.

"You did it Horsea! I'm so proud of you!" Vance said, and he hugged Horsea and Horsea just cried out in happiness, proud of her achievement. Brock then walked over to Vance, holding a gray, octagonal badge.

"Vance, you battled impressively; I'm proud to give you the Boulder Badge." Brock said, and Vance took the Badge and clipped it to the edge of his cape.

"YES! The Boulder Badge is mine!" Vance yelled, throwing his fist into the air. Ash, Misty and Pikachu started clapping for Vance.

"Congratulations Vance!" Misty said.

"That was a cool battle! I can't wait for mine!" Ash said, and Brock turned to Ash.

"Ash, if it's alright with you, I'd like to let my Pokemon rest for a couple of hours before we battled." Brock requested, and Ash nodded.

"Of course; it wouldn't be fair if I won while you're Pokemon were still weak." Ash said, and Brock left the arena to treat his Pokemon.

* * *

"So, you beat Brock…congratulations." Flint said as Vance walked out of the gym, admiring his badge.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without my Pokemon." Vance said, and Flint just mumbled something to himself before turning to Ash.

"What about you, Ash? Have you battled Brock yet?" Flint asked.

"No; I'm going to wait until Brock has healed up his Pokemon." Ash said, and Flint nodded.

"Well, good luck; you'll need all that you can get if you hope to beat Brock." Flint said before walking off, and Ash just growled.

"I'll show him!"

* * *

When Ash returned to the gym a few hours later, Brock was there, waiting for him.

"So, are you ready to lose?" Brock asked, and Ash smirked.

"We'll see who loses!" Ash said, and Brock just grabbed his Pokeball, and threw it.

"Geodude, go!" Brock shouted, sending out his Geodude, and Ash grabbed Pigeotto's Pokeball, and sent it out.

"Pigeotto, use your Gust attack!" Ash yelled, and Pigeotto appeared, and immediately started flying in circles around Geodude, surrounding it with a giant cyclone. But when the dust cleared, Geodude wasn't even hurt, and was throwing punches at Pigeotto.

"Bad strategy; don't you know that Flying are weak against Rock?" Brock asked.

"Oh, I guess I forgot." Ash admitted, and Vance just shook his head.

"Come on Ash, use your head!" Misty said, when she and Vance noticed a bunch of little kids joining them in watching the battle. A few moments later, Pigeotto fell, unconscious, and Ash returned it to its Pokeball.

"Okay Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said, and Pikachu stepped onto the arena with confidence.

"The Pikachu again; I feel sorry for it, being trained by such a weak trainer." Brock said mockingly, but Ash was ignoring the insult.

"Pikachu, let's show him how weak we are; Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu sent out several bolts of electricity, which went straight to Geodude. When the attack hit, Geodude was surrounded by a cyclone of dirt, uplifted by the lightning attack, and when it cleared, Geodude went unconscious.

"Geodude!" Brock said in shock, and his brothers and sisters just stared in shock as well.

"Whoa! Pikachu, nice going!" Misty said, and Brock returned Geodude to his Pokeball.

"I see you trained it better. But it's still no match for, ONIX, GO!" Brock yelled, throwing Onix's Pokeball. When Onix appeared on the arena, Pikachu remember how badly he was beaten last he fought Onix, and sent out several Thunder Bolts out of fear, hitting the lights on top of the Gym, almost hitting Ash, and one Thunder Bolt flew straight towards Vance, and hit him square in the chest, shocking him.

"Ouch…" Vance said when the electricity subsided, and he fell over in pain.

"Pikachu, watch your aim!" Ash scolded, and Pikachu regained his composure, and was ready to battle. "Now, Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" Ash ordered, and when Pikachu sent the electricity towards Onix, it was more powerful, actually hurting him, but it still wasn't enough to knock Onix out. When the attack ended, Pikachu noticed that he was too close to Onix, but it was already too late; Onix had it's tail around Pikachu, and lifted Pikachu up in the air.

"Onix, Bind it!" Brock yelled, and Onix started squeezing Pikachu, just like last time. All Ash could do was watch as Pikachu was crushed by Onix; he didn't know what to do. As Pikachu cried out in pain, Ash began desperately thinking of what he should do, when suddenly, a few seconds later, Brock did something surprising. "Onix, stop!" Onix then released Pikachu, who tumbled down, with swirls in his eyes.

"What's going on! This battle isn't over yet!" Ash yelled.

"This isn't a fair fight; I don't want to hurt your Pikachu." Brock said, and all Ash could do was just stare at the ground, while everyone was unaware of the fire on the lights on the ceiling. As the fire got bigger, the sprinklers started going off spraying water on everything, including Onix, who started screaming in pain from having water sprayed on it, but Ash was confused as to why.

"Ash!" Misty yelled, and Ash turned to face her. "Rock Pokemon are weak against water!" Misty reminded, and Ash turned towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Use Thunder Bolt!" Ash commanded, and Pikachu attacked Onix, and due to Onix being weakened by the sprinklers, the attack did much more damage than normal, causing Onix to roar in pain. A few seconds later, when Pikachu stopped the attack, Onix fell over in pain.

"Onix!" Brock yelled in horror, and Ash smirked.

"Now Pikachu, finish it off with…" Ash started to order, but he suddenly felt a heavy force stopping. "I can't do it! My conscious is holding me back; I'm imagining Brock's little brothers and sisters holding me back from beating the one person they love!" Ash said, completely unaware of the fact that Brock's siblings were indeed holding him back.

"Ash, you might want to open your eyes!" Misty said, and Ash did open his eyes, and saw that all of Brock's siblings were clutching onto to him, stopping Ash from attacking.

"Our brother worked hard raising his Pokemon! You leave Onix alone you big bully!" One of the siblings yelled.

"Believe me kid; I'm no bully!" Ash said defensively.

"Get off of him; all of you! This is an official match!" Brock told his siblings.

"But Brock, we know how much you love your Pokemon!" One Brock's sisters explained.

"That's why we can't stand to see Onix suffer from another attack!" One of the brothers said, and Ash remembered how Brock ordered his Onix to stop binding Pikachu, though he was winning.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu ran back over to Ash while get got all of Brock's siblings off of him.

"What are you doing? This match isn't over yet Ash!" Brock reminded.

"Those sprinklers going off was just an accident. The next time I challenge you, I'll beat you my own way!" Ash said, and he walked out the gym, and while they were watching, Vance smirked, and Misty just sighed.

"Just when he gets a lucky break, he decides to be a nice guy too." Misty said, and Vance just walked outside.

* * *

"Ash, I think you did a good thing, choosing to win your own way, rather than let something as random as luck win for you." Vance said as the two walked over to the next path.

"Thanks Vance; Pikachu, you did a great job today!" Ash commented, and that perked up Pikachu's mood.

"I just feel bad for having a one badge lead on you." Vance admitted.

"Don't worry; I'll just have to try harder next time." Ash said, when they heard Brock's voice behind him.

"Hey! Ash!" Brock yelled, running over to the two trainers. When he finally caught up to them, Brock held out his hand, and revealing a gym badge in his palm. "You forgot this." Brock said, offering the badge to Ash.

"A badge? For defeating a Gym Leader?" Ash asked, and he thought about for a few seconds, but he refused. "I can't take this; I didn't beat you." Ash said, but Brock shook his head.

"Nah; you beat me at battle, and being kind to Pokemon. You see, I get more pleasure out of raising Pokemon, rather than making them battle. I don't want to be the world's best Pokemon trainer, I want to be the world's best Pokemon Breeder. But I can't leave because I have to take care of my little brothers and sisters. Ash, I want you to take this badge and fulfill my dream for me; will do that for me Ash?" Brock asked, offering the badge again, and Ash smiled, and nodded.

"You got it!" Ash said, taking the badge, when Flint appeared out of nowhere.

"Brock, you go fulfill your dream." Flint said suddenly, and Vance and Ash were shocked to see him, and even more so when he removed his hat and beard, and looked like an older version of Brock.

"My father…" Brock said, mixed emotions showing in his voice, shocking Vance and Ash even more.

"You mean you're the good-for-nothing father that abandoned Brock and his brothers and sisters?" Ash asked.

"That's right; I left to become a Pokemon trainer, but because I was such a failure, I didn't have the courage to face my family. Brock, I want you to follow your dream." Flint said.

"Before I go, there a few things I have to tell you." Brock said as he reached into his pocket.

"I know you have something to get off your chest, and…" Flint started, but he was interrupted by Brock.

"Here." Brock said, and he gave Flint a thread and needle, confusing him. Brock then proceeded to quickly to his father how things ran in his family.

* * *

"Hey Ash, are sure it's okay if I join you and Vance on your journey?" Brock asked, as the three walked down the road.

"Sure; the more the marrier. Plus, it's nice to have someone to talk to." Ash said, and Vance gave Ash a somewhat insulted look.

"Well, what about Vance? And that girl that keeps following?" Brock asked, and Ash turned around, and saw that Misty was following him.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight until you pay me back for my bike, Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled, and Ash just groaned.

"I know! I know! Come on Pikachu, let's try to lose her!" Ash suggested, and the two started running, and Vance and Brock started running to catch up.

"Hey! Ash, wait up!" Brock yelled, and Vance just rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry Brock, I'll explain things to you along the way!" Vance said, and they all took off running to the next town, looking forward to the next part of their adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

After getting their first badges, Vance and Ash, along with Brock and Pikachu, decided to head towards the Cerulean City, hoping to get a Cascade Badge from the Gym. As the trainers walked along the path, Ash stretched out his arms and gave a big yawn.

"Ah, it's great day to enjoy the sunshine!" Ash said contently.

"And while you're enjoying the sunshine, Gary is catching more sunshine." Brock pointed out, making Ash miss a step. "But I guess a Pokemon Trainer _can_ capture Pokemon _and_ enjoy the sun." Brock said, and Pikachu, hearing something behind him, turned around and saw Misty running towards them.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Misty yelled, and everyone turned around and waited for Misty to catch up. "Where do you think you're going!?" Misty asked when she finally caught up with the three trainers.

"Oh, I know where we're going; we're going to Cerulean City!" Ash said, and Misty began to freak out.

"Cerulean City!? What're you going there for!?" Misty said in a high pitched voice.

"Well, it's none of you're business, but I'm going for more badges!" Ash said, and Misty started laughing nervously.

"Uh, Ash, you do not want Pokemon from there, trust me!" Misty said nervously.

"Why not?" Ash asked, and Misty quickly thought up a lie.

"Because they're all…" Misty started, trying to think of a good lie.

"All what?" Ash pressed on, and Misty finally came up with something.

"Because they're all very scary Ghost Pokemon that look like this…" Misty explained as she stretched her face to make it look like a monster's face. "Like monsters!" Misty said, trying to make her voice sound scary; but all Ash did was laugh.

"Hahaha! Nice face Misty! Come on Brock, Vance. Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash said, and they started walking towards Cerulean City.

"Hey! Hey! WAIT A SECOND!" Misty yelled, and everyone stopped walking again as she jumped in front of them and spread her arms out. "Hey! How about Vermilion City? It's right on the water and you can find lots of neat Pokemon! And you can watch all the giant yachts pulling into the harbor! And there's a little park on top of the hill where you can sit and watch the sunset! It's so romantic!" Misty said, the last bit being in a bit of dreamy way. "It's much nicer than that old Cerulean City, so let's get going!" Misty yelled out in excitement.

"Okay, let's go!" Ash said, and Misty got excited real quickly.

"You mean it?" Misty asked hopefully.

"…to Cerulean City!" Ash said finally, and Misty fell over as the rest walked past her. "I've got to get more Gym Badges, Brock. And since there's a Gym in Cerulean City…" Ash explained.

"Yeah; makes since to me." Brock agreed, and they continued their way to Cerulean.

* * *

The next morning, when Brock, Ash, and Vance finally reach Cerulean City, they were walking down the street, admiring how nice the City was, when Ash turned around and noticed that Misty wasn't following them.

"Hmm? Hey, that's weird; Misty isn't following us anymore." Ash pointed out, and Pikachu seemed really upset by it.

"She really didn't want to come to Cerulean City, did she?" Brock reminded them.

"I wonder why she hates this place…ah, we'll never understand girls!" Ash decided, and they just kept on walking.

As they got deeper into downtown, Ash, Brock, and Vance noticed a large group of people standing around a heavy-duty hardware store, and several police cars with their sirens going off.

"The police? Wonder what happened." Ash said, and they ran over to the crowd, and shoved their way upfront. "What happened?" Ash asked a guy next to him.

"Some burglars broke in last night." The stranger explained.

"Burglars, huh?" Ash said, and they suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"What do you know about burglars?" The voice said, and the three turned around and saw Officer Jenny staring them down. "You three look pretty suspicious to me." Jenny said.

"Hey! You're that motorcycle officer from Viridian!" Ash said, thinking it was the other Jenny he met.

"Hmm? Ah! You must've met my sister-in-law! If you've met my sister-in-law, than you must've had some dealings with the police in Viridian. Maybe you stopped and asked for directions, or maybe you found a wallet and turned it in, OR MAYBE YOU'RE A BURGLAR WHO BROKE OUT OF JAIL!" Jenny accused, flashing her handcuffs.

"I've never been to jail!" Ash said defensively.

"Me neither, ma'am!" Brock said, but Jenny didn't believe them.

"That's what they all say!" Jenny said.

"We just got into town, and we saw the crowd, so we came over to see what was going on." Brock explained, but Jenny just smirked.

"The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" Jenny pointed out, but Ash pulled out his Pokedex, and opened it.

"Maybe this will help clear things up." Ash said, turning Dexter on.

"I'm Dexter, a Pokedex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokemon Trainer, Ash Ketchum." Dexter said, and Brock pulled out a Badge from his gym.

"Yeah, and I'm the leader of the Pewter City Gym." Brock explained, and Vance got out an identification card.

"And my name is Vance Draco, of the Draco family." Vance said, and Jenny nodded and put away her handcuffs.

"Well, that's evidence enough for me. I'm sorry I was so suspicious! Now I'm suspicious about my sister-in-law; she sure has weird taste in friends." Jenny said, the last part being mostly to herself, hen Brock got her attention.

"Uhh…miss? Since I'm new in town, maybe we could get together tonight and you could show me around." Brock suggested.

"Well, I'm not off duty until past your bedtime, and I'll probably have to work around the clock to catch these burglars." Jenny said, and Brock just groaned in disappointment while Vance and Ash held back their laughter.

"Well, what exactly did they steal?" Ash asked.

"That's weird thing about it; they didn't take any money, just a massive vacuum and a giant hose." Jenny explained.

"But why would anyone steal one of those?" Ash asked.

"I'm sure I don't know young man, but I _do_ know I don't have time guessing games with you, because I have a job to do, and it's time for you three to get moving, so come on, let's go!" Jenny said, pushing the three trainers away from the store.

* * *

"It's a good thing that I had Dexter and you had that Badge." Ash said to Brock as they rested on a bench, but there was something Ash was still curious. "Hey Vance, when you told Officer Jenny who you were, you said that you were 'of the Draco Family'. What's so special about the Draco Family?" Ash asked, and Brock fell over from the question.

"What!? How can you ask something like that! Don't you know anything, Ash!?" Brock asked, and Vance just calmed Brock down.

"Brock, it's fine; it's actually a little refreshing, knowing that there is someone out there that I come from a famous family." Vance admitted as he took a seat next to Ash. "You see Ash, my family is famous for being filled with Pokemon Masters; for as long as my family can remember, each member has become a Master at some point in their lives. We're also famous for being the most skilled Dragon trainers in the world; that's how I was able to get Dratini as my Starter." Vance explained, and Ash just made a face, showing that he understood, as Vance continued. "I don't really like announcing that I'm from the Draco Family, because I want to be treated like a regular trainer; I don't want others to be too scared to battle me, or Gym Trainers go easy on me. Don't get me wrong, I love my family; I just wish we weren't so famous." Vance finished, and he stood up, hoping to head towards the gym. "Now come on; we have a Badge waiting for us to collect." Vance said, and Ash shot up excitedly.

"Yeah. Hey Brock, you have any inside information on the Gym Trainer there?" Ash asked, but Brock looked confused. "I just want to figure out as much as I can about him _before_ we have our match! 'Know yourself, know your adversary, and you hold the key to victory!'." Ash recited.

"You know some pretty deep stuff Ash." Brock said, and Ash pulled out his Pokedex and Ash laughed nervously.

"I got that one from Dexter." Ash admitted.

"Well, I never actually met the Gym Trainer here, but I know his Pokemon's special move." Brock said.

"Yeah? What is it?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but I can't tell you that." Brock said, and Ash looked disappointed.

"Why not?" Ash asked.

"I'm a Gym Leader too; I can't tell you out of respect. You understand?" Brock said, and Ash just smiled.

"That's cool." Ash finally said, and when they got a nearby intersection, Brock stopped.

"Well, I gotta check some stuff out; catch you guys later." Brock said, and Vance and Ash were surprised.

"What stuff?" Ash asked, but Brock remained vague.

"Just stuff. See you two later." Brock said, and he walked off.

"Well, come on Pikachu." Ash said, and he and Vance continued to look for the Gym.

* * *

When Ash and Vance finally found the Gym, they were surprised to see that it was filled with people sitting in bleachers, cheering for something, when suddenly, and man over an intercom started speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the stars of our show; the Sensational Cerulean City Synchronized Swimming Sisters!" The announcer said, and Vance just sweat dropped.

"Try saying that five times fast." Vance joked, and they watched as three girls got on the large diving board and jumped into the water. The three then started their synchronized swimming, making everyone cheer, except Ash and Vance, who were confused.

"Huh…but, I thought this was a Pokemon Gym." Ash said, and all they could at the moment was just watch and wait for the show to end before they could ask questions.

* * *

"I don't get it." Ash said himself while he, Pikachu, and Vance walked into a nearby hallway, and they turned into another hallway, and saw that it was like an aquarium, filled with tanks of water with fish swimming everywhere. "It's like an aquarium; how can this be a Pokemon Gym?" Ash asked when he and Vance heard several voices coming his way. The voices belonged to the three swimmers he saw earlier, and they were praising each other for how well they did during the show. "Uh…excuse me." Ash said, getting the three girls attention.

"Sorry, but if you want an interview, you have to, like, call our manager." The girl with the pink hair said.

"We don't want an interview…" Ash tried to explained, but the girl with blue hair cut him off.

"We don't do autographs." The purple-haired girl said, but Ash shook his head.

"We don't want one. We want to know if this is the Cerulean City Gym." Ash said.

"Of course it is." The girl with blonde hair said, and Ash and Vance perked up.

"Well, I want to know if I can find the Gym trainer." Ash said, and the blonde nodded.

"You're looking at them." She said, and Ash and Vance stared in shock.

"The three of us are the Gym Trainers." The Blonde explained.

"We're the Sensational Sisters." The pink-haired girl said.

"We're world famous!" The purple-haired girl bragged.

"Huh!? But what's with all that swimming?" Ash asked.

"It's, like, our hobby, and our fans love it!" The pink haired girl said.

"We _pool_ our talents to make a big _splash_!" The purple-haired girl said, and all three of them laughed hysterically.

"Man, and I thought _my_ puns were bad." Vance said quietly to himself.

* * *

"Come on! I challenge all of you!" Ash said when the five of them returned to the pool area, and Pikachu seemed just as anxious, but the three sisters were reluctant.

"We don't feel much like battling anymore." Daisy, the blonde sister said, causing Vance, Ash, and Pikachu to sweat drop.

"What do you mean?!" Ash demanded.

"We just got beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town." Violet, the purple-haired girl said, and all Ash could do was just act depressed and disappointed.

"Not again…" Ash said, annoyed.

"It was just one defeat after another; my eyes were spinning from all the losses." Violet explained.

"We had to like, practically rush all of our Pokemon to the Pokemon Center." Daisy said, and the pink haired girl, Lily grabbed a Poke Ball and enlarged it.

"This is the only one left." Lily said as she dropped the Ball to the ground, causing it to release the Pokemon, a Goldeen.

"You mean all you have left is a Goldeen?!" Ash asked as the Pokemon flopped on the floor, and Lily returned it to the Poke Ball.

"If it would evolve into Seaking, we could use it, but right now, all it can use is its Horn Attack." Violet admitted.

"So, like, there's no point in battling." Daisy explained.

"Now, instead of having matches, we have time to make ourselves even _more_ beautiful than ever!" Lily said.

"I know what you want." Daisy said as she clapped her hands twice. "Seel!" Daisy summoned, and from the pool came a small white Pokemon with a horn on its head. Seel then jumped onto the floor around the pool, and stuck out its tongue, revealing a badge that looked like a drop of water, and Daisy took the badge. A Cascade Badge; this is what you want, right? You can have it." Daisy said, but now Ash and Vance were the reluctant ones.

"Thanks, I'd rather _earn_ my badges." Ash said, and Vance nodded.

"Same here." Vance agreed, but Daisy was persistent.

"Take it; a badge is a badge." Daisy said, and Ash reluctantly walked forward, and reached to grab the badge, when suddenly, they heard a familiar voice shout.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Misty yelled as she appeared out of nowhere.

"Misty?!" Vance and Ash asked in shock, and Misty jumped down the bleachers, down to the pool grounds.

"Alright Daisy; if you don't want to battle them, I will!" Misty said determinedly, and both Ash and Vance were surprised by the sudden turn of events.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I'm a Cerulean City Trainer too!" Misty said proudly, and Ash, Vance, and Pikachu gasped in even further shock. "I'm the fourth Sensational Sister!" Misty proclaimed, but Lily got behind her and started shaking her finger back and forth at her.

"There are only three Sensation Sisters, and one _runt!_" Lily said, and Misty started growling angrily.

"So little sister, it's a surprise to see you again so soon!" Daisy said, and Violet started mocking Misty.

"The little girl with a big mouth that said she wouldn't come back until she was a great Pokemon Trainer; wasn't that you?" Violet asked as she started to giggle, and Misty looked away in shame.

"I guess I did say something like that when I left." Misty admitted.

"So _that's_ why Misty was so dead-set against coming here." Ash deduced.

"Misty, you left here _pretending_ you wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer because you couldn't compare with us; because we're obviously more beautiful and talented than _you_ are." Lily said confidently.

"Uh-oh." Ash said, knowing Misty's temper very well, and at the same time, Vance started taking large steps backwards and holding his cape in front of him, protecting himself in case Misty went berserk.

"THAT WASN'T THE REASON!" Misty yelled.

"Well then, I guess you came back because you couldn't make it as a Pokemon Trainer." Daisy said mockingly, and Vance was getting annoyed of his friend getting made fun of, even though it was by her own sisters.

"I love how these three are making fun of Misty for not being a good trainer, although _they're_ the ones that can hardly make it out as Gym Trainers." Vance said to Ash, though he made sure it was loud enough to where everyone could hear him, though Misty's sisters just ignored him.

"It wasn't my idea to come back here; the only reason I'm here is because _he_ wanted to come!" Misty said, pointing at Ash, and Daisy just smirked.

"Well, he's totally not someone I'd choose for a _boyfriend_, but you're no prize yourself." Daisy remarked jokingly, and Ash just fell over in disbelief while Vance started rolling on the floor, laughing, and Misty became even angrier.

"MY BOYFRIEND?! If I battle him, I'll prove that I'm _not_ a quitter and that I'm just a good a trainer as you three!" Misty said.

"Well, you _are_ the only one with a Pokemon that can actually battle." Daisy admitted, and Misty got in Ash and Vance's faces.

"Alright Ash, Vance, are you two ready to rumble?!" Misty asked anxiously, and all Vance and Ash could do was laugh nervously.

* * *

After getting the pool set up for a Gym Match, Ash and Misty stood at opposite ends ready to battle, while Misty's sisters, Vance, and Dratini watched from the side line.

"I wasn't planning on battling you until you paid me back for my bike; but this is as good a time as any! If you want that Cascade Badge, you're going to have to beat me!" Misty yelled over to Ash.

"It'll be my pleasure!" Ash responded. "Pikachu, this is going to be a piece of cake." Ash said to Pikachu, though Pikachu looked reluctant for some reason. "So, how many Pokemon?"

"Two against two works for me!" Misty declared, and Ash smirked as he picked up Pikachu.

"You got it! Alright then Pikachu; I choose you!" Ash said, and he tried to toss Pikachu, but electric mouse hanged on for dear life on Ash's arm. Pikachu then jumped off of Ash's arm, and refused to move. "Pikachu, what are you doing!?" Ash demanded, and Pikachu pointed over at Misty and shook his head. "Huh? Are you saying you don't want to battle with Misty?" Ash asked, and Pikachu gave a confirming nod. "Well, I guess it's okay if you don't want to battle a friend."

"Pikachu! You're a Pika-pal!" Misty yelled, and Pikachu perked up at making Misty happy.

"Thanks a lot Pikachu." Ash said as he grabbed a different Poke Ball, and meanwhile, Vance looked down at his Dratini.

"Dratini, are you going to be okay battling Misty?" Vance asked, and Dratini nodded, making Vance smile. "Thanks bud; though I would've been fine either way." Vance said, and knelt down and started petting Dratini.

"Butterfree! I choose you!" Ash shouted, and his Butterfree popped out of the Poke Ball, ready for battle.

Well in that case; Misty calls Staryu!" Misty said, and she released her Staryu, and Ash got out his Pokedex.

"Staryu; the core of this water Pokemon shines in a rainbow of seven colors, a core that is valued by some as a type of jewelry." Dexter explained.

"Wow…leave it to a girl to show off her jewelry." Ash joked, but Misty was getting impatient.

"Quit stalling and let's get this show on the road!" Misty yelled.

"Do you think Misty could really win?" Violet asked.

"Like, in her dreams, maybe." Lily answered.

"Okay Dratini, let's pay close attention to Misty's battling style." Vance said, as he and Dratini started observing.

"Butterfree! You can blow that thing away with one blast! Tackle it!" Ash ordered, and Butterfree started charging towards Staryu, knocking it down with his Tackle.

"Staryu, Counter Attack!" Misty commanded, and Staryu jumped in the air while spinning, and started flying towards Butterfree.

"Butterfree, Dodge!" Ash ordered, and Butterfree raised his altitude, making Staryu miss, and when it landed on one of the platforms in the pool, it had trouble regaining its balance, allowing Butterfree to hit it with another Tackle. "Ha, ha! I'm going to win this!"

"Staryu; use Water Gun!" Misty said, and Staryu jumped into the pool and fired several shots of water at Staryu from one of its arms.

"In that case; Stun Spore now!" Ash yelled, and Butterfree sprinkled fine yellow powder onto Staryu, making it shake in pain.

"Oh no! Staryu looks like it's in real pain!" Misty said fearfully.

"But it doesn't even have a face! How can you tell?" Ash asked.

"Because I'm sensitive to others feelings!" Misty remarked.

"Oh yeah? And I'm not?" Ash asked, and meanwhile, Misty's sisters noticed that Seel was just clapping.

"Which side are you cheering for?" Violet asked, but Seel just continued clapping.

"Staryu! Wash it off!" Misty ordered, and Staryu leaned forward until it feel in the pool. A few seconds later, Staryu jumped out of the water, with the effects of Stun Spore no longer hurting it. "Yay! Too bad you didn't know that Stun Spore doesn't work if you wash it off with water!" Misty bragged.

"She thinks she knows everything! Butterfree! Sleep Powder." Ash ordered, and Butterfree started spraying Butterfree with a blue powder now, but Staryu dived into the water again.

"Tackle it from under water!" Misty ordered, and Staryu flew out of the water, and hit Butterfree in the air, and continued to make a barrage of tackles. "If Staryu can get Butterfree under water, I win! Water Pokemon always have the edge in the water! HAHAHA!" Misty proclaimed, and even her sisters were impressed.

"Misty is totally awesome!" Daisy admitted.

"Well, we three got the good looks in the family, so I guess Misty had to get _some_ talent." Lily said, and Staryu was able to get one final hit on Butterfree, knocking him into the water, and making him helpless.

"Butterfree, return!" Ash said, and he grabbed the next Poke Ball. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash said, and he let his Pidgeotto loose.

"Oh yeah? Staryu return!" Misty said, and she brought Staryu back, and grabbed Starmie's Poke Ball. "Misty calls Starmie!"

"Pidgeotto! Whirlwind it away!" Ash said, and Pidgeotto started flapping his wings heavily, making a huge gust of wind.

"Dive under, then up!" Misty ordered, and Starmie jumped into the water, and quickly flew back to try and Tackle Pidgeotto.

"Use Wing Attack!" Ash ordered, and Pidgeotto knocked Starmie back into the water, but it quickly flew back out, and Pidgeotto with another Tackle. "Use Gust to blow it away!" Ash yelled, and Pidgeotto started flapping his wings away, and this time, Starmie couldn't get away, since it was in the air, and Starmie was knocked back into a wall.

"Starmie!" Misty yelled in horror, and Starmie's red gem started blinking. "Oh no! Starmie's energy is just about out!"

"Okay Pidgeotto, let's get that trainer badge!" Ash said, but the gym started shaking for some reason. Suddenly, one of the walls started to crumble, and a giant machine rammed into the room.

"Check out that hair!" Violet said as what looked like red and blue haired figures rose from the machine.

"Like, who invited the party crashers?" Daisy asked, and it was quickly revealed who the intruders were.

"Sorry to break in on you ladies." Jessie said as she and James rose on the platform.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." James offered.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"The water Pokemon have the advantage…" James started.

"…but if we take that advantage away…" Jessie continued.

"…the Pokemon are ours for the taking!" James finished, and Meowth cut in.

"And Meowth knows just how to do it!" Meowth said.

"What are they trying to prove?" Daisy asked, when suddenly, a giant hose appeared from behind the machine, and started sucking up the water.

"A massive vacuum and a giant hose…*gasp* Team Rocket were the ones that broke into that store last night! I should've known it was them!" Ash said.

"Our swimming pool!" Daisy yelled sorrowfully.

"They're sucking it dry!" Misty said angrily.

"That's our water!" Lily yelled.

"Right! I should give it back!" Meowth said, and he pulled the lever to the vacuum, and the hose sprayed the water back at the trainers.

"We have to protect the Pokemon!" Misty yelled as she was washed away.

"But what about my hair!?" Violet asked.

"Now it's time to suck 'em up!" Meowth said, and he moved the lever again, and the vacuum started sucking again, this time, taking Seel with it.

"Come back Seel!" Violet yelled, but the current was too powerful for Seel to escape from. A few moments later, Pikachu was swept away from the current, and was being pulled towards the vacuum.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in horror, but he quickly remembered something. "Wait, water conducts electricity! Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu gave off a massive Thunder Bolt, shocking Team Rocket, making them yell in pain. When the attack ended, Team Rocket was scorched, and their hair frizzy.

"Its times like this that make me want to go straight." James admitted, and Team Rocket fell into the water, with the vacuum still running. "Now I know what it's like to be all washed up." James said.

"We'll never come clean!" Jessie yelled, Team Rocket was sucked into the vacuum, and spat out the other end.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" *ting*

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he saw Pikachu still be pulled by the vacuum, and he ran over the vacuum, and deactivate it. The hose the spat Pikachu out of the vacuum, and Daisy caught him as he flew through the air.

* * *

"Hey, we never got to finish our match." Misty pointed out after refilling the pool.

"Yeah, and I was about to win it too." Ash said disappointedly.

"Well, you could say the match was postponed due to _drain_." Violet joked.

"At least nobody lost." Lily pointed out.

"I wanted to win!" Misty pouted.

"Well, I guess I won't be getting that Cascade Badge." Ash said sadly.

"Wrong. We're giving this badge to you." Daisy said, and she offered the Cascade Badge again.

"How come he gets the badge!? He didn't win!" Misty sulked.

"Pikachu, like, saved us all. And if he had used Pikachu from the start, there was no way your water Pokemon could've won!" Daisy said.

"Oh man." Misty continued.

"Take the badge, Ash; you deserve it!" Daisy said.

"Gee, thanks!" Ash said happily, and Pikachu cheered happily as well.

"Don't forget Misty; you and I haven't had our match yet!" Vance reminded, and Misty quickly got excited again, and nodded.

"You're on!"

* * *

"So Vance, are you ready to lose?" Misty asked confidently, just returning from having her Pokemon healed, and Vance just smirked.

"Have you ever fought a Dragon Pokémon before, Misty?" Vance asked, and Misty's confidence dwindled a little.

"No, not really." Misty admitted, and Vance just smiled outright.

"Then don't look so smug; a battle with a Dragon Pokémon is in a different in its own right; you never know what a Dragon might do next." Vance explained, but Misty was still ready for anything Vance and Dratini could dish out. "Okay Dratini; go!"

"Staryu; I choose you!" Misty yelled, and she threw Staryu's Poke Ball, putting Staryu in the battlefield. "You can make the first move, Vance."

"Very well; Dratini, start off with Slam!" Vance ordered, and Dratini lunged forward and wrapped itself around Staryu, and jumped up.

"Quick Staryu, start spinning!" Misty yelled, and Staryu started spinning around quickly, making Dratini lose his grip, and go flying into the pool.

"Dratini!" Vance yelled as Dratini made a big splash.

"Staryu, dive in after Dratini!" Misty commanded, and that's when Vance smirked as Staryu landed in the water.

"She fell for it! Dratini; use Thunder Wave!" Vance ordered, and Misty gasped as the pool turned a faint yellow tint. "Now end this with Slam!" Vance yelled, and Dratini flew out of the water, holding on to Staryu tightly with his body, and with a quick flip, he flung Staryu onto the solid ground around the pools edge. When the dust cleared, everyone could see Staryu's jewel blinking, signaling it as being unable to battle.

"Staryu return!" Misty said as she pulled out a Pokeball and retrieved her Pokemon. "VANCE! How could you be so reckless with your Pokemon, using Thunder Wave while Dratini was still in the water!" Misty scolded, but Vance just chuckled.

"Misty, before you blow up some more, think about my strategy from Dratini and my perspective." Vance suggested calmly, before continuing on. "Dragon type Pokemon have a strong resistance to Electric type attacks, as you know, and Thunder Wave is such a weak move to begin with, that it could hardly do even miniscule damage to any Pokemon. Because of this resistance, it's possible for Dratini to use Thunder Wave in a small body of water, like this pool, and not get affected by it, even when he's caught in the attack himself. The only reason your Staryu was hurt was because it's weak to Electric attacks to begin with, and therefore, more susceptible to the amplified Thunder Wave." Vance concluded, and Misty had to admit, Vance's strategy was brilliant, well thought out, and more that possible, as she just witnessed. She even had to admit the fact that Dratini looked perfectly fine, despite being caught in his own Thunder Wave.

"Alright then, time for my next Pokemon; Starmie! I choose you!" Misty said, and Starmie appeared on the battlefield in a bright white light.

"Dratini, you up for some more battling?" Vance asked, and Dratini gave a reassuring roar. "Excellent! Well Misty, ladies first." Vance said, and Misty smirked.

"Starmie, start off with Bubble Beam!" Commanded Misty, and as Starmie sent a wall of bubbles towards Dratini, Dratini himself waited patiently for orders.

"Dratini, use Agility, and follow up with Thunder Wave." Vance instructed, and Dratini vanished as a blue blur as he used Agility to quickly move across the water, hoping to get close to Starmie.

"Quick, Starmie, use your Water Gun! Don't let Dratini hit you with Thunder Wave!" Misty yelled anxiously, and Starmie sent a jet of water at Dratini, and sent the little Dragon flying into a wall.

"Dratini! Are you okay?" Vance asked, worried, and Dratini nodded. "Excellent! Now, use Agility, and dive into the water!" Vance ordered, and Dratini dove into the water was quickly as he could.

Well, Vance, now it's your turn to fall into _my_ trap! Starmie, use Ice Beam on the pool!" Misty yelled, confident in chances of winning, Starmie sent its Ice Beam straight onto the Water's surface, creating a large layer of ice on top. "Hah! That Ice Beam will have caused a lot of damage to Dratini; looks like I win this round!" Misty said confidently, but she heard something that sent a chill up her spine.

"Heh, heh, heh. You think it's going to be that easy to outsmart me? To use one of my own techniques against me? Sorry Misty, but it's going to take a lot more than that if you want to best me and my Dratini." Vance gloated, and Misty didn't quite understand where Vance was coming from. "While you may have 'tricked' me into sending my Dratini into the water, where he'll typically be completely vulnerable to an Ice attack, you forgot one important aspect; Dratini's Agility. You let your guard down, and let Dratini use Agility multiple times, increasing his speed by a large amount; more than enough to get out of the pool before that Ice Beam even hit its mark." Vance explained, and Misty couldn't help but yell out in shock, realizing that Vance was right.

"But…where is Dratini?" Misty asked, and Vance just pointed up, and Misty could suddenly hear the playful barks coming from Dratini. Misty then looked up, and saw Dratini, wrapped around one of the light fixtures on the ceiling of the Gym.

"And another thing Misty; by using Ice Beam on the pool, you just took away Starmie's biggest advantage; the water." Vance explained, and Misty thought about what Vance had said for a few minutes, before finally processing his words.

"Aah!" Misty yelled out, and Starmie started frantically looking around the pool, both of them realizing that Vance was right.

"So basically, thanks to your own Ice Beam, you know greatly restricted the mobility of your Starmie!" Vance said, wearing a giant smirk on his face the entire, and motioning Dratini to get back on the battlefield. "Now, let's finish this Dratini; Dragon Rage!" Vance ordered, and Dratini summoned a tornado of energy, and sent it towards Starmie.

"Quick Starmie, get out of there!" Misty yelled, but Starmie was too slow on the solid ice to move, and couldn't even move fast enough to fly out of there before it got caught in Dratini's Dragon Rage. "NO! Starmie!" Misty yelled in horror, and when the tornado finally dissipated, Starmie was left lying on the ground, unconscious.

"YEAH! Great work Dratini! We won!" Vance yelled excitedly, and Dratini flew into Vance's chest, and barked out happily. "This couldn't have been possible without you Dratini, thank you."

"Congratulations, Vance. That was the most intense battle I've had in a long time." Misty said, and Vance just smiled, ear to ear. "I'm happy to give the Cascade Badge." Exclaimed Misty, and she gave the Badge to Vance, who proudly clipped it to his cape. "YEAH! I JUST WON THE CASCADE BADGE!" Vance yelled out happily, and Dratini barked happily again, as well.

* * *

"Misty, you just go right trying to be a Pokemon trainer." Lily encouraged while Misty was saying goodbye to her sisters. "You may as well be good at something, since you'll never be stars like us." Lily went on, and Misty's temper flared again.

"You go on like that and you'll be seeing stars!" Misty threatened.

"Misty, chill out! You know we love you." Daisy said, and Misty nodded.

"Hey Ash! Vance!" Brock yelled as we walked over to the gang.

"Yo Brock-o!" Ash greeted.

"So how'd it go?" Brock asked, and Vance and Ash flashed their badges.

"See for yourself!" Ash said, and Brock nodded.

"Cool, let's go!" Brock said.

"Right." Ash said.

"You're not leaving without me!" Misty said.

"Misty, you're not going to be a sore loser." Ash said.

"What, I didn't lose!"

"Well, I'm the one with the badge!"

"You know you lost with Butterfree!"

"That was just round one; I made a great comeback!"

"If Team Rocket hadn't busted in, I would've destroyed you!"

"You're lucky they showed up; you were about to lose!"

"Lose? I was just getting started!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Oh brother." Vance and Brock said in unison as they walked on.

To be continued.


End file.
